Let’s Talk About Ableism
The Real Truth About Vaccines
Since anti-vaccine influencers can’t help themselves, we are having to yet again talk about ableism.
And remember, when you support these anti-vaccine influencers, you are also supporting their ableism.
Let’s Talk About Ableism
You do know what ableism is, don’t you?
“Ableism is not a new buzzword. It is a term that reflects ongoing oppression of disabled people. Ableism is actually a social construct operating on the premise that non-disabled people are superior to those who are disabled. It manifests and maintains its belief in the superiority of those who are non-disabled with entrenched bias, systemic discrimination, prejudice, stereotyping and actions that target and perpetuate the oppression of disabled people.”
Ableism: The Autistic Experience
But even if you do, would you recognize it all of the times that anti-vaccine influencers mention it?
Do you understand why it is considered ableism when Andrew Zywiec talks about adults with ‘real’ autism wearing diapers and banging their heads against the wall?
Do you understand why it is considered ableism when Andrew Zywiec says only certain people have ‘real’ autism?
“Ableism has been around for a long time, and disabled people have been treated badly for a long time. If you have dealt with ableism, you are not alone.”
What is ableism?
Do you understand how this is hurtful to autistic people?
What are other examples of ableism?
“Ableist attitudes and beliefs are so deeply embedded in our collective psyche that people, workplaces and systems of support aren’t always aware that they are being ableist. Intentionally or unintentionally, there is evidence that ableist practices and mindsets prioritize and elevate non-disabled people and oppress disabled people. This prevents Autistic people from enjoying full and equal participation in their communities.”
Ableism: The Autistic Experience
Other examples of ableism would be saying things like:
I wouldn’t hire an autistic person
I wouldn’t date an autistic person because it would be too much work
You should hide your stims. - don’t ask or make autistics hide their stims
You should look me in the eyes when you talk to me, knowing that autistic people have problems with eye contact. - don’t demand eye contact
You don’t look like you have autism. - that’s not how it works. Every autistic person has their specific needs, strengths, and struggles, etc., even when they aren’t obvious to you.
And of course, it is ableism to portray autistics as victims of a vaccine injury epidemic.
Autistic people might need support, but they are not damaged and don’t need to be fixed.
And parents don’t need to choose between measles or other life-threatening diseases and autism, because vaccines aren’t associated with autism!
What else?
“While most Autistic people aren’t savants (though many are), we do usually have a spiky skill profile. This simply means that when we are good at something, we are often very good at it, and when we are behind, we are often very behind.”
Talent Isn’t Enough: Ableism & “Gifted” Autistics
Look into things like:
diagnostic overshadowing - when a symptom or experience is attributed to the wrong condition or diagnosis, typically one that has already been suspected or diagnosed, which misses or delays the diagnosis of a new condition.
masking - when autistics work hard to hide their autistic traits, because they think it will help them fit to it better with others, but it leaves them feeling horrible
camouflaging - includes masking, but also learning other methods to assimilate or fit in, like copying other people’s body language or facial expressions and scripting conversations in advance
internalized ableism - occurs when autistics believe all of the negative things they might hear about autism, leading to resistance to accept accommodations, shame, anxiety, depression, and forgetting that they are not broken!
And if you weren’t aware of all of these things, then learn to do better!
“Ableism – any -ism, for that matter – is about narratives. Abled people treat disabled people poorly because they have a narrative in their head about how disabled people should be treated, or what disability means, or how valuable (or not valuable) disabled people are. And those narratives come from somewhere.”
If You Want An Extremely Inadequate Introduction To How Ableism Works In Fiction
Of course, anti-vaccine influencers will never get that message…
But you can, and you can stop listening to them!
“Where are all the adults with classic autism? Where are the hand flapping, head banging, self-abusive, spinning, screaming, rocking, stimming, non-verbal and violent 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 year olds wearing autism helmets and diapers? Where are the grown-ups at the mall experiencing violent tantrums, seizures and GI tract problems?”
RFK, Jr
After all, they are the ones behind much of the ableism, making parents feel like they have damaged children.
Anti-vaccine influencers are also often the ones making autistic children and adults feel like they are damaged and need to be fixed or cured.
Stop helping them!
More on Ableism and Autism
How Anti-Vaccine Influencers Observe Autism Acceptance Month
Three Reasons You Should Avoid Going to Anti-Vaccine Autism Conferences
Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism, But That’s Not The Point. Stop Being Ableist.
If You Want An Extremely Inadequate Introduction To How Ableism Works In Fiction
Truth and Consequences – The Anti-Vaccination Movement Exacts a Price
RFK Jr. Says There Are No Autistic Poets. We Asked an Autistic Poet.
Thank you for this. As the mother of an autistic young lady who is never banged her head and who was potty trained by age 3, I always find these comments utterly despicable. I’m also a special education teacher, and I’ve worked with a lot of students who for a variety of reasons do bang their heads and are in diapers well past age 3. They’re not all autistic. They all have some form of intellectual disability, but they’re not all autistic. And none of them are damaged. They’re all wonderful, beautiful human beings that deserve respect. I don’t understand why AVers always only talk about autism when in reality a great many of their children have a variety of other things going on like down syndrome or Angelman syndrome or Prader-Wilii, or a whole slew of other things. But those are well known to be genetic so they can’t blame those on vaccines like they try to do with autism. It’s despicable and disgusting. Del’s dog comment enrages me.
Most of the autistic children I work with are not intellectually disabled. AVers never bring this up. 🤬